The daily fantasy sports empire that’s exploded across the USA over the past few years is currently taking a hiatus in New York state.
In February 2020, a New York State appeals court struck down the majority of a law that in 2016 had authorized daily fantasy sports games within the state.
Signed into law by Gov. Andrew Cuomo in 2016, it declared that daily fantasy sports did not constitute a form of betting. Cuomo’s approval meant that the state agreed that DFS were games of skill and not games of chance.
In October of 2016, that law was challenged by four New York residents who claimed they’d been harmed by gambling. Their successful appeal argued that the new law was unconstitutional and created an illegal exemption to the State Constitution’s prohibition on gambling excluding horse racing and casino wagering.
The decision has pushed leading DFS sites such as DraftKings and FanDuel out of one of their most lucrative markets in the USA. Currently in New York, DFS enthusiasts can only legally play the games while situated in one of the seven state casinos that currently are home to legal sports betting. Online sports betting remains illegal in the state of New York.
NY DFS Sites
- Draftkings DFS NY
- Fanduel DFS NY
Both DraftKings and FanDuel currently operate sportsbooks in New York.